Article Abstract:
Causes of male-killing have been studied in a sample of the two-spot ladybird, Adalia bipunctata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) from Russia. Thirty-six matrilines were tested looking for the four male-killing symbionts that are known to infect the species. All four were found. They are Spiroplasma, Rickettsia, and two Wolbachia strains. Possible explanations are offered.
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Article Abstract:
Phylogenetic DNA-sequence analysis suggests a single origin for the male-killing characteristic in the genus Rickettsia, but that geographic range affects the number of male-killing symbionts. Data were obtained from research on comparisons of Adalia decempunctata and A. bipunctata, with A. decempunctata yielding only one male-killing taxon and A. bipunctata yielding four.
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Article Abstract:
Low rates of egg hatching and progenic sex ratios strongly biased toward females, indicative of the presence of male-killing endosymbionts, were found in Harmonia axyridis populations from the Altai Mountains of Mongolia and from Sapporo City, Japan, but not from Novosibirsk, Russia. Prevalence of infection was 0.49 in Japan and .02 in Mongolia. Over 99% of the infected females' progeny inherit the trait.
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